Air cleaner



Sept. 20, 1932. E. A. RElcl-IERT ET AL AIR CLEANER Filed sept. 25, 1.929

I l l l I Patented Sept. 20, 19321 UNiTED STATES ERWD REICHERT ANDWILLIAM S. HOLZINGER, OF HIGHLAND, ILLINOIS AIR CLEANER Application ledSeptember 23, 1929. Serial No. 894,540.

vThis invention relates to improvements in air cleaners of the characterused in cleaning or straining the intaken air to the carburetor orintake manifold of an internal combustion motor, the invention havingfor its primary object to provide a device for acting on the air atdierent stages of its travel.

Another object of the invention is in providing an air cleaner for aninternal combustion motor in which means are provided for catching andretaining the larger foreign particles in the indrawn air andsubsequently acting on the indrawn air for separating the smallerforeign particles.

A further object of the invention is in providing an air cleaning devicehaving a Huid body against which the indrawn air is entrained and havinga saturated porous body through which the air is finally entrained.

A still further object of the invention is in providing an improved aircleaning device which is demountably connected to an internal combustionmotor for cleaning purposes.

Other and further objects will appear in the specic'ation and bespecifically pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, exemplifying the invention, and in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of this improved 30 air cleaner showing itsecured to the dash or front board ofn an automobile and connected tothe carburetor of an internal combustion motor.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken approximatelyon the line III- HI of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken approximately on theline IV-IV of Fi .3.

eferring by numerals to the accompanying drawing 1 designates afragmentary portion of an internal combustion motor having the intakemanifold 2 and the exhaust manifold 3 and in communication with theintake manifold 2 is a carburetor 4 and extending upwardly from thecarburetor is an air intake pipe 5 which is connected to the dischargeso pipe 6 of an air cleaner 7 by a connecting member or union 8.

The air cleaner 7 is secured to the front bo ard.9 of an automobile bythe straps 10, said air cleaner having top and bottom members 11 and 12and secured intermediate thereto is'a cylindrical body 13, the straps 10encircling the cylindrical body 13.

The bottom member 12 is provided with an annular side wall 14; andextending upwardly from the bottom of said member is an inclosure 15 ofcoarse wire mesh material and mounted in the side wall 14 is a removableannular member 16 having an annular shaped horizontal portion 17 anddepending from said horizontal portionis a neck portion 18 whichencircles the. upper portion of the inclosure 15.

The cylindrical body 13is provided with a reduced portion 19 at itslower end for inserting engagement within the annular member 16, andsecured to the inner surface of the cylindrical body 13 is a dependingfunnel 20, the lower constricted end of said funnel being disposed aboveand adjacent the top of the inclosure 15, the constricted end of saidfunnel being smaller in diameter than theneck 18 of the annular member.

Formed in the cylindrical body 13 on one side and adjacent the funnel20, is a series of horizontally disposed openings 21 having a screen 22mounted thereover, and transversely disposed across the upper end of thefunnel 2O is a screen layer 23, and disposed within the, cylindricalbody 13 and resting on the screen layer 23 is a body of mineral wool 24of approximately number fourteen size and disposed above the mineralbody is a screen pressure layer 25 which is adapted to frictionallyengage the inner periphery of the cylindrical body 13 for holding themineral wool in a somewhat packed condition.

Secured against the cylindrical body 13 over the openings 21 is anenclosing fitting 26 having a connecting branch 27, said branch beingfor securing one end of a flexible nietallic hose 28. The hose 28 isrelatively short in length and is connected at its opposite end with abranch 29 of a bifuicated fitting 30, the jaws 31 of said fitting 30overengaging the exhaust manifold 3 and being secured in this positionby the set screws 32.

' extendin In mounting this improved air cleaner together, the bottommember 12 having the annular side wall 14 is filled with motor oil tothe approximate height of the wire mesh inclosure 15 and the annularmember 16 is then inserted in the annular wall 14 of the bottom member12. The cylindrical body portion. 13 is then connected to the bottommember 12 by inserting the reduced portion 19 thereof into the annularmember 16, and as the funnel 20 is secured in the cylindrical body 13,the lower constricted end of the funnel will be disposed a distanceabove and concentric with the inclosure 15.

After the cylindrical body 13 has been mounted on the bottom member 12,the body of mineral wool 24 which lhas been previously saturated inmotor oil is mounted in the cylindrical body upon the screen layer 23and the holding down screen la er 25 is then mounted in the cylindricalbo y 13 against the mineral l`wool body. The top member 11 is thensecured to the upper end of the c lindrical body 13, the top memberhaving the air discharge pipe 6 secured thereto which is coupled withthe air intake pipe 5 which leads to the carburetor 4. The top andbottom members 11 and 12 of the cylindrical body 13 are each providedwith a transversely disposed flat strip 33 each strlp at 1ts endsextending be ond the width of the top and bottom members and passingthrough the ends of said strips are securing rods 34 or holding thebottom member 12, top member 11 and cylindrical body 13 together.

After this improved air cleaner has been mounted together and coupledwith the carburetor of an internal combustion motor as shown anddescribed, and the motor is placed in operation, the intaking strokes ofthe piston of respective cylinders of the motor will create a suctionthrough the carburetor 4, through the pipes 5l and 6 and upwardlythrough the air cleaner 7 from the fitting 30 which is engaged over themanifold 3 of the motor. This indrawing of the air to the carburetor isfirst introduced into the air cleaner 7 from adjacent the heated exhaustpipe 3 into the fitting 30 by Areason of said tting being secured overthe exhaust pipe, the heated air after passing throu h said fittingentering the iiexible metallic ose 28, the fitting 26 and through the,openings 21 which are formed in the cylindrical body 13, and as theheated air currents enter the cylindrical body, they will be defiecteddownwardly by engaging the outer wall of the funnel 2O and will bedirected on the oil body 35 whichv is exposed in the neck 18 of theannular member 16 of the bottom member 12. The air upon striking the oilbody will cause the heavier dirt particles which have been indrawn withthe air to engage the oil body and consequently will be held thereby,the air upon striking the oil body being drawn upwardly concentricallythrough the constricted lower end of the funnel 20 and will pass throughthe screen 23 into the oil saturated body of mineral wool 24, thesmaller or finer dust particles which are still in the upwardlytravelling air body being retained by the saturated mineral wool andconsequently the entrained air upon reaching the upper end of thecylindrical bod 13 will have been purified or cleaned rea y fordischarge into the pipe 6 and subsequently to the carburetor.

As this im roved air cleaner is constructed of .demounta le parts, it isobvious that it can be quiekl a new body o oil can be mounted in thebotdemounted and cleaned and tom member 12 and the mineral wool ,body

24 can be removed and cleaned and resaturatedl with oil." v

Obviously the entraining of the air from the proximity of the exhaustpipe ,or` manifold 3, will provide for heated air being entrained intothe air cleaning device for the purpose of creating a better combustingfuel in the motor.

During the summer months if desired, the connection to the exhaustmanifold can be dispensed with so that cooler air may be enn means forentraining the air currents to an away from the liquid body 35, but alsoserves the purpose of providing a trap for cutting off air entrainmentthrough the air cleaning device when a too great accumulation of dirthas accrued in the oil body 35. This cutting off of the air is broughtabout by the accumulated foreign matter or dirt in the oil body 35,causing the oil to rise so that the reduced end 36 of the funnel 20 willbe closed by the raised oil body. This choking or cutting off of the airthrough the cleaner will cause a faulty motor operation which will `bea. warning to the operator of the automobile that the air cleaner shouldbe dismantled and cleaned of its accumulated dirt content.

The wire mesh inclosure 15 provides a bafiiing element in the oil body35 for steadyend adapted to contain a fluid, a baille late forming a topwall to said compartment av-v ing an opening therein, a funnel in saidcontainer above said compartment having its reduced end disposedadjacent the opening of said bailie plate, an air inlet opening formed'in said container in communication with the outside of said funnel, asaturated porous body material disposed above said funnel in saidcontainer, and outlet means leading from said container above saidsaturated porous body material.

2. An air cleaner comrisin a container having a compartment a apte tocontain a fluid, a baiiie plate having an intermediately disposedopening forming a top wall to said compartment, a funnel in saidcontainer above said' com artment having its reduced end disposed ajacent the opening of said balile plate and in alinement with theopeiing, an air inlet opening formed in said container inpcommumcationwith the outside of

